Work Text:
“How long has it been since you slept?”
“Ichika...” Takeru sighs, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his eyes. His limbs feel heavy and slow, like they have invisible anchors tied to them. “I’m fine, I promise. I know you’re worried but I have to get this done.”
“You shouldn’t be diminishing your own health for work,” Ichika insists, just as she had been for the past... Takeru isn’t sure. He’s lost track of time at this point. Just like every time though he narrows his eyes at her words and she sighs, the same sigh that indicates she’s frustrated with him. He hears it often. “You know what I mean. You’re barely functioning; no one should work themselves that hard no matter what they do.”
She says it like it’s simple and he really wishes it were. If the world functioned like Ichika assumed it did, the world would likely be a much better place. Unfortunately, reality was often disappointing and Takeru wasn’t blind to that fact. No matter how exhausted he was, work came first. Not just because he needed the money but because people were counting on him.
If Takeru had a choice in the matter he would be laying in bed with Ichika curled beside him but he doesn’t have that choice and the more his girlfriend prods the harder he finds it to resist giving in.
“I have to work, stupid cat. I can’t just-“
“Bullshit.”
The curse catches Takeru off-guard, his eyes snapping over to Ichika on instinct. It’s not that he’s unused to cursing or anything (quite the opposite really) but hearing it from his supposedly pure girlfriend was something else entirely. Not to mention that Ichika sounded genuinely upset (the scowl on her face indicating that even further) which always made Takeru’s stomach twist.
Her next words come out in a whisper, gentle but stern. “I know you, Takeru. You’ll work long hours sometimes, sure, but not to this extent. You didn’t even do this when we were working on X-day! There’s another reason you’re avoiding sleep and if you won’t tell me I’ll figure it out myself.”
Damn Ichika and her persistent need to care about others' well-being. Takeru couldn’t even be upset because he’d rewarded her multiple times previously for the behavior. He’s practically done himself in.
“Fine,” he mutters, voice laced with exhaustion and defeat. He turns his gaze up to the ceiling because his vision has started to blur. “You win, poochie. Now use your brain to figure out the rest. I’ll reward you for it.”
“Will the reward be you sleeping?”
“...If you sleep with me.”
“Fine. Give me a moment to think.”
Takeru complies, letting silence take over as he forces his eyes to stay open. He recalls suddenly that he’s supposed to give Ichika a time limit on these sorts of things but... Takeru really can’t bring himself to care. Maybe he’s hoping she’ll get it more than he wants to admit. He just likes rewarding her, that’s all.
“...Is it nightmares?”
Too tired to stop himself, Takeru flinches despite how soft Ichika says the words. Embarrassment creeps in on him, clutching down on his vocal cords like a vice. Unable to bring himself to give a direct answer he meets her eyes again, “how did you get to that conclusion?”
“Well I knew it wasn’t work-related,” she said, voice gaining more volume until she was talking normally. There was a certain tone Ichika took on when she was explaining her thought process, something not completely describable but certainly interesting. It was the closest Takeru ever got to seeing truly how his girlfriend’s mind worked and he never got bored of listening to her explain things. “I figured it wasn’t just simple insomnia either because you’d never complained of that before and I think that’s usually rooted in stress or anxiety which aren’t things I think you struggle with too much. At least not to the point it would hinder you. Then I recalled the symptoms I found when I researched PTSD after you mentioned having it and nightmares were one of the common ones so...”
Sometimes, Ichika gave him violent reminders that she wasn’t nearly as much of an idiot as he claimed.
“Did I get it right?”
Letting out a long sigh, Takeru forced himself to reach forward and turn off his computer. He’d been working on a case he hadn’t even been assigned to, just looking over the information for something to do and pass time. The action should have been enough to indicate an answer but of course, Takeru’s girlfriend is the kind who needs practically everything spelled out to her so when he turns to face her she’s still staring at him, awaiting an answer. “Yes.”
It’s the most he’s going to say. He doesn’t want to think about it, let alone talk about it. If he does, Takeru is afraid he might not be able to sleep at all despite the exhaustion clinging to him.
Ichika must be able to tell because she doesn’t press, instead undoing her tie and laying back on his bed with her arms open. Forcing himself out of his chair, Takeru curls into her arms and clings to her tightly. Usually, he prefers their roles to be reversed but right now... well, it feels sort of nice to be held. Dumb dogs can be comforting from time to time as well he supposed.
With that thought, Takeru allows himself to drift off. If he needs her he knows Ichika will be right there.